Lulu: yo~ Second chapter is up~ I needed to update this, so here you are :3

NOTICE: IF YOU HAVE ANY PROBLEMS WITH THIS FANFICTION, PLEASE DON'T REPORT ME; JUST TELL ME YOUR ISSUES WITH THE PARTICULAR FANFICTION, AND I WILL DO MY BEST TO FIX THEM. I REALLY DON'T LIKE HAVING TO LOSE FANFICTIONS AND REUPLOAD THEM ALL OVER AGAIN. THANK YOU

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN HOMESTUCK, FOR THAT IS OWNED BY ANDREW HUSSIE. I ALSO DO NOT OWN PETER PAN. ENJOY

WARNING: THE CHARACTERS IN THIS FANFICTION AND THEIR PERSONALITIES MAY NOT BE TRULY CORRECT; THIS IS BECAUSE THE AUTHOR (aka Me) MAY EITHER INTERPRET THEM DIFFERENTLY THAN THEY WERE SUPPOSED TO BE INTERPRETED, THEY MAY BE CHANGED IN ORDER TO FIT THE SPECIFIC AU, OR IN WORST CASE SCENARIO, THE AUTHOR (again, Me) MAY HAVE HAD THEIR PERCEPTION OF THESE SPECFIC CHARACTERS CHANGED DUE TO READING TOO MANY OTHER FANFICTIONS CENTERING AROUND THESE SPECIFIC CHARACTERS. PLEASE READ THIS FANFICTION WITH THESE THOUGHTS IN MIND.

POVs specifically targeted in this chapter: Clubs Deuce (Midnight Crew), Kankri Maryam (Alpha Troll, works in this AU as a babysitter), Karkat Slick (WARNING: THIS CHAPTER IS MAINLY KARKAT-CENTRIC AND MAY NOT BE COMPLETELY CANON WITH THE WEBCOMIC. IF YOU DO NOT LIKE ONE OF THOSE TWO THINGS, PLEASE SKIP THIS CHAPTER NOW, OR READ IT ANYWAY AS LONG AS YOU'RE PREPARED FOR WHAT YOU'RE GOING TO RECIEVE).

Your name is Clubs Deuce, and you're currently calling a babysitter. The reason why you're doing this is simple; the Midnight Crew now has five children in their care, and you weren't going to leave all these poor, defenseless kids in Slick's house without someone watching them…and all of you were needed for your mission tonight, so getting a babysitter was the best way to go (even if Slick would yell at you later for giving away the address of his house to a complete stranger who could easily call the cops on you).

You knew someone that probably wouldn't call the police at first notice…he's famous for dealing with even the most difficult children as if they were perfect little angels; this was good, because at times, the children of the Midnight Crew can be fairly difficult. Tavros and Aradia are the least difficult; Tavros is shy and not that talkative when it came to strangers, so when it came to communication, you usually had to figure out what he wanted though his body language…though, even that within itself is confusing (you've also heard from Boxcars that he usually won't go to sleep unless Peter Pan is playing right next to him, or unless his stuffed bull, Tinkerbull, was with him; thankfully, he had the bull with him, so hopefully he'd fall asleep without much fuss).

As for Aradia, well…from what you could tell, she seems to have a lot of imaginary friends to talk to, and she always seems extremely happy…but Droog has told you that sometimes it's hard to get her to eat (he's even had to feed her at times) because she tends to zone out at random moments and stay like that from minutes to hours at a time. As long as she was fed, she could probably fall asleep on her own.

Your own boys, Sol and Lux, were a bit different. Sol had to be kept on one of those kid leashes because he was always running into possibly dangerous situations (sometimes you didn't know if he was just being brave or stupid…or both. Usually it was both), and it took quite a bit of time to get him to sleep (you've often been tempted to use tranquilizers because there are times when you simply can't catch him). Lux was fairly good when it came to keeping himself alive, but he had a major lack of self-confidence and all sharp objects had to be kept away from him at all times (he isn't quite suicidal yet, but he's a bit of a klutz and tends to run into things a lot…which, in truth, is a trait that both boys seem to share).

Finally, Slick's son, Karkat, would probably prove to be the most difficult out of the rest of them. The boy was actually fairly well-mannered for someone his age; he used polite language (most of the time…Slick's influence was evident in the fact that his son was constantly swearing…though that could've been there before he even met Slick. Anything's possible), was usually quiet (unless someone got him mad…Sol had a tendency of doing that sometimes), and he didn't find any enjoyment in going out of his way to potentially end his young life before it even began (your sons could learn a thing or two from him).

There were, however, a few issues with the boy; even at the young age of three, Karkat seemed to have no desire to sleep (evident by the black bags under his eyes) or even to play with other children (the most he's done with the kids around him is yell at Sol for causing a ruckus…something you're usually too busy worrying to do). All of that within itself was worrying enough…and everytime you've come over, he's usually either watching television, or he's looking out the window; that's where he was now in fact.

You acknowledged the fact that Karkat was now watching the window, though you really couldn't remember why; he wasn't personally expecting anyone, right? I mean, he knows the babysitter is coming, but is he really just waiting for a man he's never met? (and yes, it's a man…or, a male. You're pretty sure the guy is a teen, but his language on the phone made him seem much more mature than that). You think about what he might be doing for a minute or two, and then the doorbell suddenly rang. You look to Karkat, who seemed to mutter "Stranger", and thought that the babysitter was probably here…and that's when you made the mistake of opening the door.

His name is Kankri Maryam, he's an albino (you could easily tell by the almost fluorescent white hair and bright red eyes that kind of resembled Karkat's eyes)…and he did not stop talking. Not as you let him in, handed him a note of instructions (you couldn't vocally give them because he wouldn't shut up), and left him with the kids and some pizza money (you're pretty sure that all of the kids will eat pizza). You sighed, giving a silent prayer of luck over to the children of the Midnight Crew as you strolled off with the rest of your group to begin your newest job.

PROCEED TO BEING THE INSUFFERABLE ONE

You proceed to becoming the insuff – you mean Kankri Maryam. You are not insufferable, no matter what anyone else says…you've just got a habit of talking a bit too much, that's all…you're not really that insufferable, are you? that's probably extremely triggering (and that irks you, because you never want to be triggering to anyone…unless that person made you angry, but no one has done that in a really long time).

You've been chatting with the children for a decent amount of time, and you enjoy their company a lot; they don't seem to be bothered by you at all. They haven't said a word, but it looks like they're all paying attention! It's so wonderful for youths their age to be listening to an adult like themselves. Maybe you'll be able to get this job again sometime! These children are so much more behaved than the last group you watched; you faintly remember a variety of objects being thrown at you, and a lot of amusing yet also terrifying time shenanigans going on around you (that's the last time you babysit for the Felt…even if you did get very well-paid for it. You had to fib a little here and there, and that made you a little upset with yourself, but thankfully you were still alive by the end of the night).

You're thoughts of just how lucky you were to get this job were interrupted by the doorbell being rung. It was probably the pizza delivery man! On the list, it was mentioned that there was some pizza ordered for the little ones! (technically, you'd also be getting a slice, but it specifically says to have them eat first). When you opened the door, the man seemed to be quite irritated with you, though you didn't know why. When you handed him the money, he just shoved the pizza into your arms and ran for his car…honestly, people can be so rude sometimes.

You set the box down on the coffee table in front of the television, where the children had somehow gathered in the five minutes that you were with the pizza guy. You turned the TV off, angering the children watching it, and one of the children (Sol, you assumed) immediately saw food and grabbed a slice. The rest followed suit, including yourself, and it wasn't long until the entire pizza was gone.

It seemed very quiet for a while afterwards…and then, when you looked over to the children, you saw they were asleep (they looked absolutely adorable). Not wanting to wake them, you quietly picked up the children and moved them to the couch so that they'd be more comfortable. The twins were truly adorable when they were resting, clinging to each other and even breathing in complete sync with one another. The other boy, Tavros, had his arms wrapped around a white stuffed bull, and the girl, Aradia, was curled up into a ball, much like a little kitten (you contained yourself, though you were almost sure that you were blushing from the adorableness).

You did notice, however, that one of the children was still awake; young Karkat, who'd barely even looked at you the entire evening, was staring out the window…it felt like he was waiting for something. Except for when you'd all had pizza together, he'd rarely left his post at the window…it felt like he was waiting for something, but you didn't know what it was…you shrugged, sitting on the floor next to him. As long as the other children were asleep, you might as well watch the window with him.

BE THE YOUNG BOY AT THE WINDOW

You are now the young boy at the window (aka Karkat Slick, formerly known as Karkat Vantas), and you are waiting. You know you shouldn't be doing this; you should be asleep with the other kids, and it honestly wouldn't be too hard to just collapse right now (especially since the man babysitting you has been basically talking ever since he stepped through the door…you're convinced that he basically bored your friends to sleep). And yet, you still had to wait, you had to watch.

You remember the last time you didn't wait; that had been with your old dad, the one that raised you before. You liked that man, even if he wasn't your real father, because he treated you like you were his son. You faintly remembered that man and his bright red hair and eyes that matched your own. You didn't know how he was related to you in the first place, but it didn't matter; all you knew was that that man was part of your family, and he was the only one willing to take you. You and him had shared a love of crabs, causing you to nickname him "Crabdad", as you had no idea what his real name was (you remember calling him that for the first time, how he picked you up and nearly squeezed the life out of you in a tight hug, hearing him chuckle as you tried to struggle away before accepting it, just as you always did).

Unfortunately, like everyone else, Crabdad had to leave…and it was all your fault. You should've been watching like you usually did; you were in the car, you should've been watching what was going on outside the car. You should've said something about how the car beside you was slightly swerving back and forth (you could faintly see a man and a woman fighting in the car); you should've, but you didn't. You and Crabdad were coming home from the beach, and you were tired and just wanted to sleep…and then, you heard a tire squeal and saw someone reach for you (you had convinced Crabdad to let you sit in the passenger seat that time…you should've stayed in the back where it was safe) before everything went black.

You remember waking up in a hospital, something attached to your wrist, a bunch of machines and wires attached to you. Doctors had come into your room shortly after you awoke, and they told you many things very quickly so that you'd only understand bits and pieces. They said that it was a miracle that you were alive, that you'd even woken up (you were supposed to be asleep for a very long time…maybe forever). They said that the car was gone now; in the crash, it'd been pushed off the road and had flipped a bunch of times. They said that Crabdad was gone (he was gone because he protected you, he shielded you from most of the painful stuff, stuff that could've made you go away too), just like that woman, the one that gave birth to you and disappeared…you wanted to cry, but you couldn't, because you're a big kid, and big kids don't cry.

You remember a strange man you'd never seen before taking you out of the hospital when you were all patched up. The man never identified himself, though you faintly noticed that he somehow had gotten all your stuff packed up and ready to go, so you guessed that he was one of those "Social Services" people that had given you to Crabdad (they took a lot of time to do it apparently; they almost refused to). You remember the few brief cases holding your belongings being thrown onto the dead lawn of this dirty house, and when the man drove away, you had rang the doorbell until you realized that no one would answer. The rest was history.

You don't really like the man taking care of you now; he's cold, mean, and he often forgets that you're even there (you don't really eat all that much because of that). Still…he's your dad, and he's the only one you've got left. Since you never go anywhere together, and he leaves for work without you, you stick to watching the window and making sure he comes home every night…you almost get no sleep because of it, but it's worth it, just to see Stabdad come home. And yes, you've nicknamed your new dad "Stabdad".

And yet…as the night continues on (with your babysitter waiting with you), you get more and more tired. You rub at your eyes, trying to stay awake, but then you're pulled into a soft lap and – well, you proceeded to snuggle into the lap, because you're an extremely sleep-deprived child, and you no longer have any control over your own actions. Your babysitter, Kankri, merely chuckles at you and rests a hand in your hair, allowing you to relax a bit more. With Kankri watching the window…maybe a quick nap wouldn't hurt…

BE CLUBS DEUCE AGAIN

You are now once again Clubs Deuce, and you're currently suffering from cuteness overload. Somehow all the children were cuddled around one another on the couch; even Karkat, who's usually always awake, had been tucked in beside Aradia and Tavros. You needed to remember to hire Kankri again…yeah, his constant chatter ate at your nerves, but it was worth it to see something as adorable as this. You took many pictures of this occasion (with the flash off of course).

Lulu: End~ I combined sadness and adorableness. you're welcome. Feel free to review :3 Thank you for reading~